Take a stroll through Rahway Trail in New Jersey’s South Mountain Reservation, and you might be surprised to find some tiny fairy homes among the trees! That’s because this nature trail was lovingly transformed into a whimsical fairy forest by mom Therese Ojibway around a decade ago. She came up with the idea for her autistic son. Although the family no longer lives in the area, her fairy homes continue to delight trailgoers. In fact, even more have been popping up over the years!
Julie Gould and Beth Kelly have since been appointed “Makers and Keepers” of the magical fairy forest, according to CBS News. They continue to honor the tradition started by Therese Ojibway and her autistic son. Not only are the two women creating more and more fairy homes along Rahway Trail, but they’re also in charge of approving the contributions of volunteers.
“The houses do have to be up to code. In this case, the code is Julie and Beth Code,” Beth said. “Because we need to give these fairies a stable house to live in.”
She continued, “So we ask people to just work with us, keep it all natural, keep the colors down.”
Rahway Trail’s fairy homes bring joy to hikers.
At this point, there are almost 100 fairy homes in the forest along Rahway Trail. The fantastical atmosphere Therese had hoped to provide for her autistic son now touches the heart of every visitor who walks the trail!
“This is really about a magical feeling when you come here,” Beth said of the fairy forest. “…it touches your heart, it gives you a sense of wonder, imagination, creativity, it all blends and bonds with nature. That’s how we get paid. We get paid when we get to interact with the hearts of the children, who come here and it made their day. This is just a magical place for them.”
It’s such a fantastic idea to transform an ordinary forest trail into a beautiful fairy haven! Therese and her autistic son have certainly left their mark on Rahway Trail.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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